All Blogs / Lifestyle / Creativity / Popular
Would You Fight the Gestapo?
There's nothing like reading about a moral quandary to get your blood stirring. When you have to make the hardest choices, do you put your principles first, or your relationships, or your own life? read more
Herzog's Hypnotic Heart
The key to Werner Herzog's creative process in the film Heart of Glass was unlike that of other directors. Here's the story... read more
5 Ways Mysteries Fail
Whether written in page-turner genre style or with more literary intentions, the best mysteries and thrillers replicate a world in which the psychology of the characters feels real. read more
Does Holy War Make Demons of Us All?
Is it possible to get beyond a lack of trust to find commonalities and hope in the Middle East? One scholar writes creatively on the subject. read more
Interview with World Memory Champion Boris Nikolai Konrad
A look inside the mind of a world memory champion. read more
The Problem-Solution Paradox of Creativity
To thrive as a creative means you must be an agile problem-solver. Consultant Jeffrey Davis explains how it's necessary to willingly track problems yet not over-focus when solving them. read more
Get Inspired Daily: Six Tips and Three Prompts
Think of writing a novel as a marathon. Read books about how to do it, including these two new ones. read more
Men, Women, and IQ: Setting the Record Straight
What James Flynn's data actually reveals about gender differences in intelligence. read more
Could You Be a Good Spy?
What make a good spy novel (or a good spy)? In Simon Mawer's Trapeze, based on WW II history, the suspense builds to the point where, when the Nazis appear, readers feel actual anxiety. read more
Pride and Creativity
Unpacking the complex link between pride and creative achievement. read more
They've Been Doing It, Creatively, Since 1660
Lives of the Novelists is a titillating peek into the lives of 294 writers, leavened with wit and enriched by lesser-known anecdotes. read more
Are Prodigies Autistic?
New study on prodigies reveals some startling findings. read more
Can a Genius's Life Be Laugh-Out-Loud Funny?
A delightful book about a reclusive math genius explores the person beyond the stereotype. read more
Mind Your Monkey Mind
You know how your mind sometimes races around, obsessing over something that some part of you knows isn't worth all that distress? Out of two new anxiety memoirs, I loved one. read more
The Lure of Long Books
I love sinking into the fully-dimensional world of a multi-volume novel. Melvyn Bragg's set is more than a poor man's Downton Abbey -- It has much more psychological depth. read more
Why Mysteries Are So Popular
Whether written in page-turner genre style or with more literary intentions, the best mysteries and thrillers replicate a world in which the psychology of the characters feels real. read more
Is Gambling a Good Way to Experience Flow?
Forty million people spend billions on slot machines in the U.S. every year. Are they communing with the Infinite without realizing it? read more
Poets Prattle, Poets Tattle: How They Began
Poets who revise can't always go back and trace their own steps. But early drafts can offer clues... read more
How Classy Is Your TV Taste?
It's hard to be an elitist American lover of British TV anymore. Suddenly some of the good stuff is being carried by super-warehouse Costco. read more
Why Weird Experiences Boost Creativity
A crucial trigger for flexible thinking and creativity is the experience of unusual and unexpected events. read more
